More flu than ever before, some physicians report

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January 25, 2013

About one-quarter of more than 2,400 U.S. physicians report encountering more patients with influenza at this point in the season than ever before in their careers.

In a recent survey conducted by MDLinx, 72.6% of more than 2,400 U.S. physicians reported that their patients' flu symptoms were worse than normal for this point in the season. Another 22.6% reported encountering more patients with influenza at this point in the season than at any point previously in their medical careers.

The survey was conducted from January 15 to 19 among 2,430 practicing U.S. physicians in the areas of family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, general practice, and emergency medicine.

More than 70% of pediatricians reported seeing a higher-than-normal number of patients with flu. Many (43%) pediatricians reported experiencing vaccine shortages, and 46.2% said that their patients had reported an inability to fill prescriptions for antiviral medications.

The vast majority (80.5%) of emergency physicians reported a higher-than-normal volume of flu patients for this time in the season, with 30.5% stating that it was the highest number they had ever encountered.